Deseret News | DirecTV deal eases mtn. pain

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Sports on TV: DirecTV deal eases mtn. pain

It won't be fantastic until... | 5:00 a.m. June 6, 2008

While Mr. Pierce lauds this deal with DirecTV as fantastic for MWC fans outside of Utah, it will only be so when DISH comes to a similar agreement over the mtn. When there is competition between DirecTV and DISH, then prices tend to come down a bit. Also, the BigTen Network is available on most of the basic packages on DISH and DirecTV without paying one cent extra. So the rich just get richer and the poor MWC fans keep paying out the $$ for a glimpse of their teams. If this were a fantastic deal, the mtn would have received the same treatment as the BigTen Network in its programming package placement. The deal is better than what we had last year, i.e. nothing. But fantastic implies no dissatisfaction, while there is still some of that remaining. To watch every BYU game this year, one must subscribe to the most expensive DirecTV package AND Sportspak. Couple those prices with the monthly lease of a DVR and DVR service, and we ARE paying an arm and a leg outside of the MWC area. How much does a BigTen fan pay to watch all games? THAT deal was fantastic.

SCUDbuster | 7:12 a.m. June 6, 2008

Talking to DirecTV one only has to subscribe to the Sportspac one month at a time. Since only one game is scheduled for CBSCS (CSTV) that means as soon as the month is over when that game is televised one can stop the subscription un til basketball season if any basketball games are on CBSCS.

Dutchman | 7:39 a.m. June 6, 2008

Better but still no high definition TV.

Comments continue below

Easier Solution | 7:40 a.m. June 6, 2008

Give up watching TV...

It's not like sports really matter anyway.

Big Ten Network | 7:55 a.m. June 6, 2008

You are incorrect. The BTN was only free for the first year. My folks have Dish and they no longer have BTN. They'd have to subscriber to the sports pack to get it.

2-3 | 8:17 a.m. June 6, 2008

Come on guys. Watching 12 games a year at 4 hours per game is a colossal waste of life. Limit yourselves to 2-3 games, get outside and do something, and read about the other games in the paper the next day.

Get Over It!!! | 8:19 a.m. June 6, 2008

All the MWC fans need to quit complaining. Involvement in sports as a fan is a privilege, not a right. I remember when I was young, back in the 70's to early 80's, listening to BYU road games on KSL because there was no TV programming....period.

If you want to watch the game, shut up and pay for it, either at the game or on the TV.

If you're too cheap to pay for it, listen on the radio.

P.S. - Until the MWC IS the Big 10 (or any other Big Six), no deal will be fantastic. Reality bites!

re:2-3 | 8:37 a.m. June 6, 2008

Reading and writing about this article is a colossal waste of time

best deal possible | 8:44 a.m. June 6, 2008

This is the best deal the MWC could hope for. Any comparison to the Big 10 is ignorant of the situation. The larger the ratings, the more revenue for Direct TV and co. The MTN at it's best will be a small blip on a given Saturday when compared to a Saturday in the BIG 10. Only BYU and Air Force have a measurable following outside their own home city. A Ute fan in NYC??? you are talking about 2 people my friend. Also, this will push college football to make BCS changes. This fractionalizes the audience across cable channels. Casual Saturday viewership will decline as only the most devout fans will flip to all the different channels to watch beyond their own team. The networks will see viewership decline as fewer fans watch the "game of the day" because they now have real programming choices. Notre Dame will not draw nearly the audience they did as fans can now watch games that matter to them all Saturday long. Here is hoping all conferences get a channel very soon... then we will have the NCAA sports package just like NBA, NFL, etc.

Waste of Time | 10:19 a.m. June 6, 2008

Anybody that thinks watching a college football game is a waste of time or that thinks sports are a waste of time is either a Utah St. fan or a loser.

Re: Waste of Time | 11:41 a.m. June 6, 2008

Thank you for your comment. I needed a good laugh. It's astounding to me how many people who don't share our love for sports read the articles and comment on them.

Re: Easier Solution and 2-3 | 12:09 p.m. June 6, 2008

You obviously never played sports before. Let me explain. We watch football because it is something we enjoy, something we relate to. Kind of like how my wife watches One Tree Hill because she relates to it. That's one reason why I don't watch other stupid television shows. The only reason I am getting DirecTV is for the football. During the rest of the year I might watch the occasional Jazz game but other than that, no TV. My life is too full for that. But college football is something that I enjoy and it is just as relaxing to me to watch college game day and four football games in the fall as it is to go for a hike in the mountains. I still hike, but not during football seasons. You only say sports don't matter because you don't enjoy it. Well I say go do your knitting or your cross stitching and leave me alone, I'M WATCHING FOOTBALL!

Re: Re: Easier Solution and 2-3 | 1:26 p.m. June 6, 2008

Amen brother. Albq cougar and love fall college football. Better than any deal is actually going to the games. 3 years ago, Notre Dame, 2 years ago, BC, last year UCLA and this year UW. There's nothing like being there. Can't wait for Sept 6th. Hopefully dish will follow suit, but if not, on Aug 31, i'll be leaving dish for direct tv. btw, with dish you can upgrade and downgrade the next day and the cost is prorated, so it costs only an addition 2 or 3 dollars to watch a game on an upgraded package. hope dish follows soon.

Pick Your Poison | 1:45 p.m. June 6, 2008

People waste money in many ways. Drinking, gambling, drugs, clothes, cars, extravagant homes, etc. I'll waste mine on Cougar Football with cable or satellite. If you don't like it go buy a pair of shoes or something.

Cougarfan | 2:04 p.m. June 6, 2008

Go Mtn.! HD! HD! HD!

let's go | 2:07 p.m. June 6, 2008

watch sub par mtn. west football! YEAH!! It's the best

Anonymous | 2:49 p.m. June 6, 2008

It may be true that in the grand sceme of things, whoever wins a given football game doesn't matter at all. But in the grand scheme of things none of us matter, except an elite few.

Getting away from the grand scheme, each of us can decide who or what is important to us, and to outside observers these choices can seem very arbitrary. I have made my choice that the Jazz and Cougars doing well is something that is important to me. I'm sure you have decided that certain things are important to you that I don't care about at all. You don't have to respect what is impportant to me and can call it a waste of time, but I'm sure you care about things that I think are a waste of time.

So lets not get high and mighty about others arbitrary likes and dislikes. How about we let others enjoy what they enjoy as long as it isn't harming anything?

P.S. Lakers suck.

Impatient | 2:55 p.m. June 6, 2008

Heaven forbid a man who makes a living nitpicking others do his own homework.

If you pay the extra $5/month for Choice plus you get your local channels with DirectTV it will not cost you more.

DirectTV provides CBS college sports as part of the Utah footprint (as well as Fox Sports Utah and Altitude), it will not cost an extra $12 for the sports subscription.

If Fox Sports Net carries the BYU Wash game, it will be available on the FSN Utah channel included in the choice package you will not need to pay the $12 for the sports subscription.

Maybe you should just stick to nitpicking silly dramas and sitcoms, if your going to branch into TV sports do your homework. I know all your claims of extra money made for a good article and its frustrating when facts get in the way.

Yeahbut | 3:09 p.m. June 6, 2008

If we'll cough up for this without a whimper, gasoline isn't expensive enough.

BYU fan in PA | 3:39 p.m. June 6, 2008

The BTN is free on DirecTV depending upon where you live. Obviously, it is free in PA. It is also available in AZ.

BTW: There are no Ute fans in NY.

Carl | 8:56 p.m. June 6, 2008

I have Cable and already had The Mtn. With this new deal I get to watch half the games--less than I had before. I'm happy for the direct TV viewers but the Mtn. TV situation is not going to be up to snuff until Cable One decides to add Versus and the now CBS-whatever it is. I'm afraid this is not going to occur any time soon. I'd gladly pay whatever it cost--within reason. It may be a waste of time, but what the heck, I like it and I'm going to do it.

Anonymous | 9:46 p.m. June 6, 2008

This article does not touch on the fact that the Utes still suffer from cougar-envy. Frued's last discovery.

Ute Fan in New York | 7:22 a.m. June 7, 2008

This is a great deal for the mtn., although obviously it doesn't solve everyone's problems. I live just outside of Manhattan, and satellite is not an option in the city.

The ability to get the mtn. will make me look into dropping my cable and adding directv, and I will make sure to tell directv and comcast if I do switch that the reason I jumped was because directv would carry a network partially owned by Comcast and Comcast would not.

Todd Christianson | 8:14 a.m. June 7, 2008

I would pay extra if they would get rid of Todd.

Pricing for the Mtn on DIRECTV | 9:51 a.m. June 7, 2008

Great source to get pricing on DIRECTV for the MTN 888-800-8592

RockOn | 9:53 a.m. June 7, 2008

Just told DISH I'd cancel if they didn't get The Mtn.

Asked my wife if she had any last things to say before football season begins. She has three months max.

Neither were amused.

Radio Fan | 1:39 p.m. June 10, 2008

If Todd is the commentator, I'll turn on the radio and turn off the volume on the TV! It's not about YOU Todd . . .

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